inimitable
adjective
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How Should You Use inimitable?
Something that is inimitable is, literally, not able to be imitated. In actual usage the word describes things so uniquely extraordinary as to not be copied or equaled, which is why you often hear it used to praise outstanding talents or performances (or uniquely talented and incomparable individuals). (The less common antonym imitable describes things that are common or ordinary and could easily be replicated.) Inimitable comes, via Middle English, from the Latin adjective inimitabilis. Be careful not to confuse it with inimical or inimicable, two adjectives meaning “hostile” or “harmful”; those words come from a different Latin root.
Examples of inimitable in a Sentence
Laura Manske, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
But Thalberg, we’re told, wanted pictures that were singular and inimitable.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Understandably missing from the doc, the original Dorothy herself, the inimitable and dearly missed Judy Garland, looms large over every moment.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 June 2025
All the more so now with her enduring and inimitable legacy re-discovered and back in view.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inimitable
Cite this Entry
“Inimitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inimitable. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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inimitable
adjective
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